Number plate



March l, 1938. n A, W, BECKER 2,110,119

NUMBER PLATE] y Filed Oct. l2, 1937 '1111/11/9-/1/11 /l/llll *W Ill/11111110 I//I/IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII\I A nventor L BERT W 55C/(5R.

Gttorneg maar 2,110,119

'TssjeA'ra oFFics NUMBER PLATE Albert WrBecker, Hartford., Conn., assigner of forty one-hundredths to Anthony Mauro, New Britain, Conn., and one-fourth to Adolph G.'

- Bergmann and James H. both of Ansonia, Conn. l Application october 12, i937, serian No. 168,600

4 emma. (ci. 1a- 125) This invention relates to number plates 'and more particularly to such plates as are used for indicatingthe registration number of automobiles.

5 An objectA of this invention, is to provide a registration plate which may be used for a number of years, instead of a single year, and thereby greatlyreduce the cost of supplying, as well as the expense for mailing large numbers of said ,10 plates, which have heretofore amounted to many thousands of dollars annually for each State when motor vehicle registrations are renewed each year.

A further object of this invention is to provide Figure 2 is a .view in central vertical Sectiemf on line 2-2 of Figure l.

Figure 3 is a fragnrientary` view showing the panel on which the changeable year number plate 30 is mounted.

Figure 4 is a rear view of the same illustrating the manner in which the said year number plate is attached thereto.

Figure Ms an enlarged plan view in horizontal 35 section through the year number plate on. line H of Figure 1. ,l

Figin'e 6 is a similar View through the year number plate panel with the said plate removed therefrom.' I

40 l As illustrated in the drawing the numeral 5 denotes the registration plate embodying my invention which is preferably made of a durable sheet metal. 'I'he said plate has vraised letters S'indicatlngthe serial, number and the State in 45 which the said 'registrationis made and raised figures 'I indicating the number of said registration.

My invention provides a raised panel 8 upon which is mounted an auxiliary number plate 9 50 having perforations I0 therethrough in the form of a year number. The said year number plate lis attachable to the plate 5 by means of prongs LII which are protruded through slots I2 in the Lsaid panel 8; the said prongs being bent down- 55 wax-'diy upon the backl surface of the license plate,

as indicated in Figure 4, to secure the year plate upon the said panel.

It will be noted from the illustration in. Figures and 6, that the letters 6 are raised upon the plate 5 in order that the indicia thereon may 5 clearly stand out.

It is to be understood that when a registration is renewed,V the registrant is given a new year number plate 9 designating the new year. Hle is then required to remove the old plate and 10 attach the new one by protruding the prongs Il,

as designated in dotted lines in Figure 5, through the slots I2 and bending them down against the back surface of the license plate. In bending the said prongs it is necessary to hammer them down in order to securely attach the year number plate to the said license plate.

In order to eliminate possible damage to the Aother letters and figures 6 and 'I on the said license plate, I have provided the raised panel 8 upon the said license platewhich is substantially on a level with the said letters and gures.

' The said panel is also provided with a depression I3 for receiving the year number plate.

The said depression is of a depth less than the,A g5 thickness of theyear number plate so that the upper surface of the said plate will project above th`e surfaces of the other letters on theregistration plate. f' Thus, when it is tosbe attached tothe said registration plate.the year number plate may be placed'upon a surface, indicated by line `i4 in Figure 5, with the prongs Il thereof protruding through the slots I2. When in this posi,- tion, it will be noted the surface of the other letters on the registration plate are spaced,l by the year number plate, above the said surface Il so that the prongs l I may be hammered down". against the back of the registration plate without damaging the surfaces of the other letters.

In order to prevent theft of the yearv number 40 plate 9, for re-use thereof upon another registration plate, the said year number plate is constructed of a material having a degree of brittleness which will cause the prongs Il to break off, upon attempt to rebend them for the purpose of detachlng the year number plata/and thus render the said plate useless. Y By stenciling the number throughthe year number plate, as indicated at I0, I have provided a number on said plate which is indestructible and which will, at lthe same time. clearly show' in the same color as the otherletters on the registration plate. -To accomplish this purpose, it will be clearly seen that, as illustrated in Figure a or the ensmsg.thesurfaceofthepanel-01H55V painted in the same color as the other insignia on the saidy registration plate so that when the year number plate 9 is attached thereto, the said color will provide a background whichV shows through the periorations forming the number infdicating the year on said plate. The year number platevitself may also be made in dierent colors to additionally indicate the year of its issuance by means 'of the contrast between the color of said plate and that of the background provided by the panel upon which the said yeai` number plate is mounted.

The auxiliary plate 9 is smaller than the panel 8 so that when the said auxiliary plate is attached to the panel, a portion of the 'surface of said panel adjacent the edges thereof, will provide a border surrounding,the auxiliary plate. P

While I have illustrated and described one method of attaching a plate indicating the ye to a registration plate, it is to be understood tha tration and a panel thereon; the Isaid letters,

numbers and panel having raised surfaces on a substantially equal plane above said main plate,

- a color medium applied to said raised surfaces,

a year. number plate having perforations in the form of a number indicating the year' of said registration mounted upon said' panel and means l thereon.

comprising prongs on lsaid year number plate extending through openings on said panel and bent back 11po`n the rear surface of said main plate forv securing said year number plate thereon; the said year number plate being made of a material which is substantially brittle to cause said prongs to break of! of said year number plate upon bending thereof to remove the said year plate from the main plate.

2. A deviceA of the character described comprising a main plate having indicia on its face, a raised panel havingopenings extending therethrough, an auxiliary plate comprising a stencil defining indicia thereon and prongs on saidauxillary plate adapted to extend through said openings for securing the same on said panel.

3. A device of the character described -comprising afmain plate having indicia and a raised panel on'its face. the said panel having openings therein, an auxiliary plate having indicia thereon, and means adapted to extend through said openings for securing the said auxiliary plate upon said panel; the said auxiliary plate being smaller than the surface of said panel whereby the said surface will provide aborder surrounding said auxiliary plate.

4. In combination with a main plate having indicia and a slotted raised panel thereon, an auxiliary plate having stencil openings in the form of indicia and prongs extending through the slots in said panell andbent against the back of said panel for securing said auxiliary yplate larsenal* w. BECKER. 

